Woman tells of 'nightmare' racist assault in the back of Uber

A young woman today told of how she fears to get in a minicab again after an Uber driver punched her in the face and racially abused her in a row over drop-offs.

Taleka White, 27, was dragged from the car and hit twice across the face after her driver, Shahab Akbar, 33, flew into a rage in Addiscombe, south London.

Non-emergency paramedic Ms White, who has a four-year-old son, was left with a lump on her head, bruising to her face and a bloodied wrist and knuckles.

Akbar was handed a 16-week suspended prison sentence and a community order at Croydon magistrates’ court yesterday after being found guilty of one count of racially aggravated common assault on September 23.

Ms White described the attack as “a nightmare part of her life” and said she has been left feeling too frightened to get into a minicab again.

Injuries: Her reddened hand (Taleka White)

She said: “I no longer trust minicab drivers. I have become very concerned about how I get home from a night out.

“It has taken the fun out of my life. I have become the designated driver for my friends.”

Prosecutor Angela Mahadeo told the court the Ms White and her friend had taken a lift using the Uber minicab app after a night out in Croydon on November 29 last year.

Guilty: Shahab Akbar

She said Akbar grew angry when he became confused over where to drop her friend. He then began to insult Ms White and called her a “black c***” as she continued the journey alone before he attacked her, she said.

Akbar, who is married to a teacher, had his private hire vehicle licence revoked after the assault and no longer drives for Uber.

Mitigating, Ernest Aduwa told the court it was an “isolated incident” and that Akbar, who had been an Uber driver for two years at the time of the assault, was of a man of good character with no previous convictions.

Raw: A photo of Ms White's knuckles shared on Twitter (Taleka White)

He told the court: “Whilst he doesn’t accept that he committed the offence, he does accept that the behaviour alleged is unacceptable. “He would like me to tell the court that this whole experience has been embarrassing for him and has been quite traumatic and left him feeling ashamed.”

Speaking to the Standard after the verdict, Ms White said: “I think more than anything I wanted him to admit to what he had done. He has shown no remorse at all and what he did was quite serious.

“In court, they said he was of good character - good character would have been to hold his hands up after he was found guilty and offer an apology.